Software

• Generate photo-quality faxes
• Integrates smoothly with key business applications to simplify your management of client and customer interactions
• Drag-and-drop faxing of documents Ability to build a fax from multiple document sources

As you'd expect, Publisher 2002 fits in seamlessly with Office XP, so you'll find features such as XP style menus and the new Task Pane and AutoCorrect to name but a few. Word users will approve of the Import wizard, as you can load documents directly into Publisher and apply new fonts, styles, and color schemes at the click of a mouse button. A huge range of predefined templates are provided, and you now get an additional 15 design sets focusing on business stationary themes--just pick one from the Task Pane and it's loaded, ready for your master touch. Fill effects and background choices abound, and you decide how you want text to wrap around each object.

The Web page design tools are a mixed bag, as Publisher allows you to produce excellent results and export them directly into HTML format. However, a lack of control over the Web page naming convention used for multipage projects, and the fact that Netscape Navigator doesn't cope well with Publisher's proprietary XML-based code, won't impress professional designers. It's a pity that Adobe's PDF format isn't supported either. However, while these shortcomings may make Publisher 2002 less appealing to professionals, it offers the rest of us a flying start into the world of desktop publishing. --Dave Mitchell

Nice touches abound; you can schedule a fax broadcast to multiple recipients, and set it to spool to two modems. WinFax Pro also can notify you of incoming faxes via a system-tray icon, cell telephone, or pager. If you need to turn an incoming fax into editable text, you can do it with its built-in OCR facility; although this is more of a "lite" version, and not quite as accurate as current standalone OCR packages.

There's a new Drag and Drop Depot icon on the desktop for quick dispatching of documents. A new high-quality photo option improves print quality at the cost of extending transmission times. If you're plagued by junk faxes, there's a new spam filter; although first you'll need to get a modem that supports Caller ID, and subscribe to the service with your phone company. When you buy a modem these days, often you'll get a "lite" fax program with it; if you only need to send/receive faxes occasionally, this is probably sufficient. However, if faxing is a key element of your work, you'll want something a bit better; something with a bit more power. WinFax Pro 10.0 more than fits the bill. --Roger Gann

• Send or forward faxes that feature high-quality images
• Add signatures & logos to outgoing faxes
• Send a faxed message as an e-mail attachment

Drag-and-drop faxing makes it easier than ever to create faxes, and a new button adds your signature to outgoing faxes with a single click. Now you can send and forward faxes as e-mail attachments. Fax files are sent in a self-viewing format, so recipients don't need WinFax PRO or any other special software to view them. When image clarity is vital, WinFax PRO gives the option of sending photo-quality faxes. WinFax PRO 10.0 can be configured to act as either client or host. Client machines can then be used to send and receive faxes using the resources of the WinFax PRO 10.0 host machine. This workgroup fax solution allows users to define themselves as participants in the network fax environment, virtually eliminating the need for administrative tasks that are common in other fax solutions.

A message manager feature provides a centralized location for all fax events providing quick and easy access to all fax events, phone books, cover pages, and attachments. For simplified project management, store incoming and outgoing faxes in your choice of designated folders. In addition to ACT! and Microsoft Outlook, WinFax PRO now integrates with contact managers, Microsoft Outlook Express, and Goldmine. It can access address books from these applications, streamlining the process of sending faxes.

• All-in-one fax, voice, data, E-mail, and contact management software
• Communicate anyway, anywhere or with anyone

• Design and import your own cover page designs or edit the cover pages available in FAXstf PRO's preferences panel
• Automate routine tasks with AppleScript -- make sending faxes from multiple applications or creating custom notifications quick & easy
• Save your most often-used settings to easily fax from home, the office, or on the road. Fax from anywhere!

• Take complete control over the faxes you send & receive
• Get more out of your faxing automated fax forwarding and broadcast fax capability
• Retrieve voice mail from any telephone and transfer messages between mailboxes